Workshop ideas

These are some workshops (and modules which can be combined in a workshop) which I could say are part of my ‘repertoire’, having run them several times. Timings vary and depend partly on the number of participants, because check-ins, check-outs and sharing rounds are an important part of any workshop I do. ‘Levels’ are also somewhat flexible, but as a guide:

‘Basic’ assumes no prior knowledge of NVC, NbC or any group work

‘Intermediate’ assumes familiarity with the language of needs and feelings and some ability to self-connect

‘Advanced’ assumes experience both with applied NVC and group work.

One could also say that the ‘levels’ offer an increasing level of challenge, whatever prior experience people have.

Behind the story – An attempt to untangle the confusion caused by our imprecise use of language to describe our internal states. Feelings and judgements are clearly separated, using real-life examples, and the close link between feelings and needs is revealed.
Level: Basic > Intermediate. Duration: 1.5hrs > 2hrs

Three-way communication – This is my equivalent of an NbC Foundation training, which includes the two modules above as well as the arts of making clear observations and taking action to meet our needs. It focuses more on Self-connection than many standard NVC foundations do, but also encompasses how to listen empathically and how to speak from our true selves.
Level: Basic. Duration: 2 days.

Life Check – A systematic review of our life situation – home, family, relationships, work, health from the point of view of human needs. A good preparation for a longer training or for distance learning/ coaching, can be completed prior to or outside the workshop setting.
Level: Intermediate. Duration: 1 hr >…

Beyond the right words – When people first encounter NVC, it’s often seen as a way of improving communication by choosing carefully what we do and don’t say to each other. This focus on standardised phrasings can result in a stilted style of speech which totally fails to create connection. This workshop provides what students are wanting when they ask to learn ‘street NVC’, but not by simply using more casual language, rather by placing our primary attention on self-connection, rather than on what we think we want to say. Natural language will follow in the dialogue if we are fully in touch with our own feelings and needs first.
Level: Intermediate. Duration: 4hrs – 1 day

Consenting to intimacy – many of us want more intimacy in our lives, but don’t know how to choose intimate connections with safety and care for our own vulnerability and the other person’s. This workshop explores the many beautiful needs associated with intimacy and practises how to balance openness with protection, safety with courage.
Level: Intermediate> Advanced. Duration: 4 hrs > 2 days

Bringing our relationships to life with NbC – It’s in close relationships that our gaps are often exposed. We can ‘do NVC’ with our colleagues and friends maybe, but don’t find it so easy to ‘live NVC’ with our partners and families! The first part of this workshop checks whether we are actually applying the NVC/NbC we already know in the 3 areas of listening, speaking and self-connecting. Next we look at triggers and core beliefs. Finally I suggest practical procedures to handle conflict and make our relationships more wonderful.
Level: Intermediate > Advanced. Duration: 1 > 2 days depending on prior experience.

Guilt and shame – Can be a short preparation for Core Beliefs work or a day workshop in itself. The combination of emotions and judgements inherent in the states of guilt, shame and depression can be tricky to unravel. Yet we all suffer from these conditions to varying degrees, and benefit hugely from healing them.
Level: Advanced. Duration: 2hrs > 1 day